


Reflections and Secrets of the Heart

by KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes



Series: Mysteries of the Heart (post-Heart of Stone fics) [1]
Category: Runescape
Genre: 6th age, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst, Battle Scenes, Conflict of Interests, F/M, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Het, Hurt/Comfort, Internal Conflict, Mahjarrat, Male-Female Friendship, POV Third Person, Protectiveness, Sixth Age, runescape lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-29 06:59:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6364063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes/pseuds/KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After <a href="http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Heart_of_Stone">Heart of Stone</a> and Xenia's death, the World Guardian and Ariane must deal with the wakening of the Elder gods, while struggling at the same time with their own inner demons. Ariane must get over the shock of killing Xenia, and the World Guardian must alert Zaros of what has happened...time is slipping through their fingers before the inevitable happens and Gielinor becomes the next Freneskae...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reflections and Secrets of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> The following story takes place after [Fate of the Gods](http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Fate_of_the_Gods), and [Dawn of the Sixth Age](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6295795), my post-[The World Wakes](http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/The_World_Wakes) fanfic, but before [Dishonour Among Thieves](http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Dishonour_among_Thieves) and [The Light Within](http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Dishonour_among_Thieves). 
> 
> As usual, gameplay and storyline segregation, in which the elements of the game that can't be taken seriously/doesn't translate well into a short story, such as respawning, eating an entire shark to heal mortal injuries, etc. being be changed/ignored depending on the situation will apply.

In the absolute blackness, there was a faint voice calling out. She couldn’t make out the exact words, but the voice had a ring of familiarity to it, stirring her sense of curiosity. She strained to hear, but her efforts were wasted; the voice was still as fuzzy as ever. She wanted to move closer, but that was impossible, for she was paralysed and at the same time bodiless—just a small piece of consciousness, floating in the pitch black abyss.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to be in that uncomfortable condition for long, because the voice got louder and clearer on its own, eventually allowing her to recognise her own name.

“Ariane!”

“Hey…Ariane!”  

“Ariane…”

“Please…wake up…”

“Ariane…”

“I know you’re there…”

“Ariane…”

She slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, all she could see were smudges of colour. As her vision cleared, she could tell that she sitting up, with her back slumped against the grey walls of a dimly lit cave. Scattered across the floor were the dirt and rock remains of a destroyed golem, and just directly across her was a _very_ short tunnel which led to a smaller cavern that had a gigantic, unfinished-looking stone bust (with no eyes, mouth, or lips) placed at the centre.

“Are you all right?”

Ariane turned to her left, and saw a pretty blond in Bandos warpriest armour hovering over her and looking concerned.

There was a pause before she replied. In that moment of silence, Bryce wanted to kick himself. This was the second time he had failed to protect her. His mind quickly raced back to a few hours ago, where he and Ariane confronted Xenia at Draynor Bridge in front of the Wizards’ Tower for stealing Pablo Corvusa’s research papers. All of them had their weapons drawn and ready to fight, but despite being wizened with age, Xenia managed to hit him with a blast of magic, which knocked him back until he landed several feet away. While he was down, she hit Ariane with the same spell, sending her flying until she landed a few feet away from him, before taking the chance to teleport away.

Bryce clenched his fists. _And all I could do was watch…how can this be?_

_I am the World Guardian…I am an accomplished swordsman, an amazing archer and a brilliant wizard, I can kill easily and efficiently in a thousand different ways…but I couldn’t even stop an old lady…I let her hurt Ariane…_

_I’m so…stupid…so useless!…_

Images of the people he had already defeated flashed through his mind, from the Pest Queen to General Graardor, to Zemouregal, to Enakhra, to K’ril Tsutsaroth, to the Dagannoth Mother, to Vanstrom Klause, but it only made his nails dig deeper into his palms.

_Why?...Why is it that I could beat all of them but I still can’t beat Xenia? Why is it that even with all of my powers I can’t protect what is precious to me?_

_Why?....Why?!…._

_WHY?!..._

_I’ve heard that saying…when a man wants to protect what is most precious to him, that’s when he becomes truly strong; that’s when he shows what he’s really capable of; that’s when he unleashes power he’s never known he even had…_

_…But….I couldn’t…_

He gritted his teeth as he recalled his journey to track down Xenia after she teleported. Assisted by Kipple, his golem guide, they chased her throughout Gielinor from Entrana to the Kharidian Desert near Sophanem, where they met up and communicated with the mouthpieces of the Elder gods. It eventually took them into a portal in the Lumbridge graveyard, which they entered. Bryce was just in the middle of asking Xenia what she was doing when Ariane teleported in.

Seeing she was cornered, Xenia had to explain her plan to strip Gielinor of its magic, before opening up a portal to complete it. However, she let her guard down for one second, and Ariane was able to kill her with an Air Surge spell, causing Xenia’s body to fall into her own portal, and that was when the real fight began.

* * *

Immediately after Xenia’s body fell in, a huge golem-like creature climbed out of the smoking portal. Despite being an experienced adventurer who had travelled throughout Gielinor, the giant wasn’t like anything he’d ever seen before, with rough, brown armoured skin like an armadillo, a stocky upper body that was somehow supported by bent, frog-like legs, no neck or mouth, and a stomach that was glowing yellow. In addition to his armoured skin, the creature also had spiked shoulder, thigh, and arm pads. But what Bryce found to be the most queer thing about this creature was the fact he had narrow, yellow visors where his eyes should’ve been.

“Who are you?” Ariane asked. “What are you?”

“I am the Prehistoric Abyssal,” the creature said. “Beast of the Abyss. I have existed for millennia, and seen the Elder cycles of creation and destruction. You have achieved nothing. The witch has already sealed your fate. Their sleep is disrupted, their fury approaches.”

 _No!_ Bryce thought. _That’s not true…that’s not possible!_

“And now…you will die just as you killed Xenia,” the Abyssal said. “We agreed that I would stop anyone or anything that tries to stop her…we had a deal; and now I will fulfill my end of it.”   He shot a fireball at Ariane, who dodged the attack, and shot back with a Fire Wave of her own. The flames hurled towards him, but they were put out when they came into contact with its body, as if its skin was made of water.  

“What? He’s not even burnt?” she cried.

“Master?” Kipple said. “I am picking up strange energy signals, but I need time to properly process it.”    

“You do that, Kipple” Bryce told him. “And I’ll do this!”  

He charged at the Abyssal, but the beast shot a large fireball at him. He sidestepped, and managed to avoid the fire. Bryce then continued to run, and when he got close enough, he leapt into the air.

“Ariane, now!” he ordered.

She nodded and then casted a Water Wave spell, which summoned a whirl of water that shot forward, looking and spinning like a unibit. Before the Abyssal could react, he was splashed with water, which left him uninjured but wet.

While he was mid-air, Bryce swung his Bandos godsword, slashing at the Abyssal’s head. However, the beast seemed to know what Bryce had in mind, for he raised his arm in defence to shield himself. When the force of gravity came down on Bryce and he had to land, his blade brushed against the Abyssal’s arm as he descended through the air. 

Seconds after Bryce got to his feet, he glanced at the Abyssal’s (still raised) arm, and his purple eyes widened in shock.

 _What? That didn’t work either?_ He thought. _But…how? My godsword can cut through anything!_

The Abyssal must’ve known how truly shocked Bryce was, because he was able to pick him up with his hand and fling him across the cavern without any trouble.

Bryce flew through the air and landed flat on his back several feet away from the Abyssal and Ariane. The impact made him cough up blood.

“Bryce!” Ariane cried.

“Master!” Kipple shouted at the same time.

“Fools!” The Abyssal yelled. “There is no weapon in the world that can penetrate my armour. Attack me all you want, but you will only be wasting your time and strength. Save yourselves the trouble and give up now. After all, you are already doomed.”

The Abyssal wiped his hands on his back, drying them. Then, thinking that Bryce was too dazed from being thrown to move, he shot a fireball at him.

He was right about one thing, but wrong about the other. While it was true that Bryce was dazed from the impact, he wasn’t dazed enough; he could still move. He rolled away at the last second, and the fireball hit the ground next to him, charring it.      

Ariane and Kipple ran over to him, but Bryce got up, before either one of them could help him stand.

“Master, I’ve finished processing the energy,” Kipple said. “It surrounds his own skin and acts as a special kind of armour. Until we break it down, it really is impervious to any approaching attack.”

“But how are we to manage that?” Ariane asked. “He’s immune to my magic and Bryce’s s sword.”

“The energy that surrounds his body protects him, but it isn’t perfect,” Kipple said. “It has flaws; certain areas that are more vulnerable to attacks. If those parts are hit hard enough, the energy will bleed away. Furthermore, if one part is broken, the rest will be affected. They will weaken too, making them vulnerable enough to be worn down when they’re hit again.”

 “So it works almost exactly like a knight’s suit of armour,” Bryce commented. “If one part is broken, the rest is instantly weakened. If I can smash of its weak spots, I might be able to do the same to the same to the rest.”

Kipple nodded.  “Keep in mind, Master, that when you break through a weak point, the areas closest to it will be weakened the most.”

_Just like normal armour, then._

“Bryce, you have to be the one to do it,” Ariane said. “I can try to chip away the armour, but even my strongest spell will not hit as hard as your blade. Next to your blade, my spells are like needle pricks; they’re weak and take too long to do any real harm to an enemy with this sort of defence. You however, wield the destructive power that can smash even the strongest metal; you have a better chance of shattering his armour.”

“I’ll do that,” Bryce said. “What’s his first weak spot?”

“His eyes, Master” Kipple responded. “If you can call it that.”

 _That’s not surprising,_ Bryce thought. _Always the eyes…it’s always the eyes. No matter how hard their armour is, you can always be sure the eyes are the softest, weakest parts—the best parts to stab._

“But what about the fireballs?” Ariane asked. “I already hit his hands once with water; I doubt he’d fall for the same trick again. As long as he can shoot fire, you won’t be able to get close. As long as you can’t get close, you will never break his armour.”

“The closer he is, the harder it is to dodge the fireballs,” Bryce said. “And as long as I’m dry, I’ll be vulnerable.”

A few seconds passed before Ariane had an idea. “Don’t move, Bryce.”

She leapt several feet back.

“Finished making your plans, are you?” The Abyssal said. “But it is pointless to resist. My armour can withstand anything. In the end, you will die, just like your world.”

 _He doesn’t even know about his weak spots,_ Bryce thought. _He’s the fool._

Ariane fired a Water Wave at Bryce. The spell summoned a spinning unibit of water, which hit him in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards, but a second later, he quickly got back on his feet.

He rushed at the Abyssal again, and just like before, the beast shot fireballs at him. Bryce ducked, and continued to run. This time when he got close, he did not jump into the air. Instead, he pretended to slash at the monster’s legs, which made the Abyssal raise his fist into the air before aiming a punch at him.

When the fist came down, Bryce leapt into the air at the last second, and landed on his arm, exactly at the halfway point between the Abyssal’s wrist and shoulder, avoiding the spikes of his arm pad, as the Abyssal’s fist hit the ground, cracking it and causing the jagged rocks underneath to spring up.

The Abyssal then aimed his other fist at Bryce, but the World Guardian jumped out of the way at the last second, and on the Abyssal’s shoulder with his feet positioned between the spikes of his shoulder pads.

Bryce ran all the way to the back of its neck, and Ariane shot more Fire Waves at the Abyssal, which had do effect, although he shot fireballs back at her with one hand, and tried to grab Bryce with the other, all while ignoring Kipple. 

Bryce sidestepped, managing to steer clear of his fingers, and at the same time, Ariane was able to dodge the fireballs. Bryce leapt up again, and this time he landed on the Abyssal’s head. As Ariane shot more Fire Waves, and the Abyssal shot back, he ran to the edge just directly above where the monster’s glabella would have been. A hand reached down to grab him, but he jumped off, just before the fingers touched him. 

 As he plunged through the air, he knew he only had seconds to do this. He thrusted his godsword at the Abyssal’s yellow visors, pouring all of his strength into his arm. The blade penetrated the Abyssal’s energy armour and entered his visor, causing a substance that looked like a magenta-coloured metal spring to drip out.

Bryce smiled. _Success…_

But then the magenta spring wriggled, like a guinea worm being extracted, except instead of leaving the body, it was trying to go back inside.

“Don’t let it get back in!” Kipple shouted. ‘That’s energy residue! It’s weak, but if it merges with his body, it can still repair his armour to some extent!”

The abyssal reached down, this time with both hands, but Bryce was quick to react. Before

the Abyssal’s fingers could close in around him, he let go of the godsword hilt, and while he plummeted down to the ground, Ariane shot a Fire Wave at the magenta spring.

Unlike the Abyssal’s skin, the magenta spring didn’t have kind of special protection or even protection at all, because it dissipated the moment the flames from Ariane’s spell hit it.

Bryce landed on his feet, and smiled with satisfaction when he saw the cracks around the godsword that was stuck in the Abyssal’s visor. While he was distracted, the beast took the opportunity to kick him in the chest, sending him skidding across the ground, stopping only when he was several feet away. He coughed up blood again.

The Abyssal touched his visor and upon feeling the cracks, he used both hands to shoot double fireballs at Bryce, who did not bother to roll away because he was still wet from the Water Wave and he knew what happened when fire met water.

The fire was put out the moment it touched him. The abyssal then pulled the godsword out of his visor, wincing as he did so. He then tried to break the sword in two, but Ariane casted a Telekinetic Grab spell, which caused a purple sphere to be launched towards the sword. When it touched Bryce’s godsword, it grew to accommodate its lengthy size, before disappearing and reappearing at Ariane’s side.

Ariane then shot a Fire Wave at the Abyssal and without his energy armour, she was able to burn his visor exactly at the spot where Bryce’s sword had hit him before. The Abyssal growled and shot fireballs in rapid succession at her, but she dodged them all.

“Ariane!” Bryce shouted. “More water! But I want something stronger this time!”

“Okay!”

She shot a Water Surge spell, which sent him skidding a few more feet away. He was drenched nevertheless.

He straightened himself up. “Now throw me my sword!”

Ariane picked up his godsword, but she could barely lift it, let alone throw it properly. “I can’t! It’s too heavy!”

Bryce ran to her, and Kipple followed a few seconds later.

“Master, his next weak spot is his stomach.”

“Good.”

Ariane shot more Fire Waves at the Abyssal’s visor, but the monster bent into a crouch, avoiding the flames. While he was crouched, Ariane shot a Fire Wave at his stomach, as Bryce picked up his sword, and ran at the beast.

The Abyssal sidestepped, and managed to dodge the fire again. He shot fireballs at Ariane with one hand, and at the same time, swung his other fist at Bryce, who repeated what he did last time. While the fist hit the ground, cracking it and sending the rocks beneath flying upwards, Bryce leapt onto his arm again, making sure to avoid the spikes.

He then jumped to his shoulder, and once again managed to land his feet between the spikes. At the same time, he was quick enough to avoid the Abyssal’s fingers, which tried to grab him. He ran to the back of his neck again, and the Abyssal, seeing that Bryce couldn’t be grabbed, deliberately backed into a cave wall in an attempt to crush him.

But rather than let himself be crushed, Bryce leapt back to Abyssal’s shoulder, and ran to the edge, right before the Abyssal’s body hit the cave wall with a _thwack_. He turned around, so that his back was facing the way down, and then he placed both of his hands on the hilt of his godsword. A second later he jumped off, with the end of his blade scraping against the Abyssal’s body as he slid down, moving from its chest to its abdomen until his feet hit the ground.

Bryce glanced up and saw that although the Abyssal’s chest was uninjured, his stomach had a deep, long gash across it. Magenta gushed out, and Ariane shot Fire Waves at them, making them scatter into the air.

The Abyssal then shot more fireballs at Ariane, but before he could try to do anything to Bryce, the World Guardian shouted “Kipple, where is the next weak spot?”

“His—

Kipple was interrupted when the Abyssal realised that Kipple was a bigger threat than he looked and used his other hand to shoot a fireball at the golem, who was able to run away before they could hit him.

With both of the Abyssal’s hands being occupied, Bryce leapt into the air again, and slashed him in the stomach. When he landed on the ground, he saw the result of the X-shaped wound, which had more magenta pouring out.

Ariane shot even more Fire Waves, dissolving the magenta residue, and making the Abyssal growl again, before the monster decided to focus all of his attention on Bryce. He deliberately fell forward, trying to crush him, but Bryce leapt out of the way just a second before the Abyssal hit the ground with another _thwack_. 

Bryce then leapt forward and landed a few inches away from his head. He stabbed him repeatedly in the visor. This time, no magenta springs came out. The Abyssal reached out with his hand, but Bryce leapt back before his fingers could even get close.

The Abyssal stood up, and Ariane shot a Fire Wave at his abdomen. Now that it was no longer protected by armour, the flames scorched his skin, turning it black.   

* * *

He glanced at Ariane, and the sight of her singed armour and hair, bruised skin, and blood trickling down the corners of her mouth made him feel like punching the walls of the cave until his knuckles broke.

_Why? Why is it that no matter how strong I get...I still can’t protect what I hold dear?...First Xenia and now the Abyssal…_

He did not want to think about what could be next. Just the memory of what the Abyssal had already done to Ariane was enough to make him want to hold her close, as if that would shield her from the dangers of the world.

* * *

 

“That’s the last of it, Master!” Kipple yelled, as Bryce leapt a few yards away from the Abyssal. “His armour is finally broken!”

“Now we turn the tables on him!” Bryce said.

But it looked like it had already begun, for the Abyssal had more cuts as well as burns on his stomach and legs, and one half of his face was mostly burnt black. If the Abyssal had actual eyes like a human, it would have given Bryce a death glare, and if looks could kill, Bryce would have gotten a heart attack.

Instead, the best summoned all of the strength in his arms and threw a fireball at Ariane, which flew at her at such a fast rate that she wasn’t quick enough to dodge. The fireball hit her, and she was thrown backwards into the air until she slammed into the cave wall with a loud _thud._

“Ariane!” Bryce cried out.

The impact made her cough up blood, and she slipped into unconsciousness a second later.

The Abyssal threw another fast fireball at Kipple, who also got hit. Being a golem, Kipple exploded, sending rocks and dirt flying in all directions.

Bryce raised an arm, and shielded his face from the debris. Kipple’s death did not incite any passion from him. In fact he was completely apathetic about it, but he knew the Abyssal had to pay dearly for even putting a scratch on Ariane.

Now it was Bryce’s turn to death glare, which was exactly what he did to the Abyssal, before rushing at the beast with his godsword pointed straight at it.

* * *

“I’m…I’m fine,” Ariane said.

It took Bryce a second to reply.  “Are you sure? You look rather pale. We should patch up your injuries.”  

“That…won’t be necessary,” Ariane said, ignoring her throbbing head, aching body, breathlessness, fatigue and the urge to just close her eyes and let the blackness take over, for there were much more important matters at hand.

“That... that _thing_ ,” she started. “Some sort…of ancient creature…from the Abyss. That was the creature that Xenia was talking to…”

Just mentioning Xenia made tears appear in her eyes, blurring her vision. “Xenia... I'm sorry…so…sorry…”

“It wasn’t your fault, Ariane” Bryce told her. “Xenia’s plan was foolish. Magic is what makes up Gielinor; the world cannot exist without it. We need it for everything—teleportation, combat, making jewellery, smelting ores, transfiguring bones into food, making staves…runecrafting…”

 _Bryce…you’re too kind,_ she thought, suddenly remembering the way he tried to comfort her after Ellaron’s betrayal.

 _It wasn’t your fault,_ he had said. _Ellaron played his part so well, he had the entire Tower fooled. Even I fell for his act. No one could have seem that coming…don’t beat yourself up for it. We did what we were set out to do; we saved the Tower, found out why the old Wizards’ Tower was burnt down, and witnessed a scene that marked a turning point of wizard history. We succeeded, that is what matters._

_You’re always trying to make me feel less troubled…but Xenia...she..._

* * *

Lying in bed, Ariane read over the letter again, before crumpling it up and throwing it across the room. She knew she’d have to pick it up again later, but she did not care. After everything that happened in the last few weeks, she needed to throw something.

The words of it were still etched in her mind, and she recalled its contents as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

 _…unfortunately I must respond with some grave news of my own,_ the letter had said. _Ever since Kartis died, my own health has been deteriorating as well. Lately, my illness has been getting worse; my coughing periods are longer and bloodier. I think I am…dying._

_I must ask you to return to Seers’ Village. I need someone to take care of me; you know we have no money left; all of it was spent on your tuition at the Wizards’ Tower. I can’t afford to buy medicine or see a physician._

_This is the only way to prolong my life. Please come home…_

She pulled the covers over her head and thought of the worst days of her life, even though she wished to forget it. But the memories always came back, like a puppy that couldn’t be shooed away no matter how many times one threw rocks at it. 

After the lesser demon Azacorax announced her pledge to Zamorak, several professors came running over, with Wizard Ellaron among them. The way he had looked at her with such a mixture of shock and disappointment made Ariane want to punch herself in the jaw.

Wizard Ellaron told the other professors to leave and they did so. He escorted her to Archmage Sedridor’s office, telling her how disappointed he was that she’d bargain with a demon that was aligned with the evil god Zamorak for information concerning the way to control powers. No matter what she said, she couldn’t convince him otherwise. Even when she mentioned her vision of the burning tower, he simply told her there were better ways to investigate her vision that didn’t involve demons. The walk to Sedridor’s office felt like forever, and she dreaded what the headmaster would say. Unfortunately, Azacorax had yelled loudly enough for the entire Wizards’ Tower to hear, and that was enough for Sedridor to expel her, although Ellaron convinced him to let her stay three more days to sort her affairs out.

But Ariane did not know what she was supposed to do. Mastering every branch of magic had been her ultimate life goal, but she couldn’t see how she could achieve that now that she was expelled, nor could she see how she was to figure out what her vision meant without the help of Ellaron.

Seeing no other alternative, she used a Tower raven to send a letter home to her grandmother telling her of her predicament, only to receive the worst news regarding her grandmother’s health. Ariane knew she couldn’t go back without facing the tremendous guilt of knowing the money could’ve gone to buying medicine.

 _My grandmother put my needs before hers,_ Ariane thought bitterly. _She nearly bankrupt us to pay my tuition, and for what? I’ve spent years at the Tower and I have nothing to show for it…_

She had no idea what she was supposed to do. Life as she knew it was collapsing and she could do nothing to stop it. Every problem was an impossible herculean obstacle that she could not get past. She felt as if the world was deliberately conspiring against her to make her life miserable. She wanted to break down, but she forced herself to keep a stoic face and suffer in silence. The other students had already resented her for being a seer, and they were overjoyed to hear about her expulsion and mocked her for it. She was determined to not give them any more excuses to taunt her.

On the day she was to leave, she went to Sedridor’s office and saw a silver-haired old lady dressed in yellow and purple. Sedridor asked her to quickly state her business and she begged him to change his mind, but he would not. She was forced to leave its magnificent ivory gates, but before she finished crossing Draynor Bridge, she heard her name being called, and the old lady said that upon her request, Archmage Sedridor told her about Ariane’s story, which she became rather interested in. When the lady asked her if she had any place to stay, and she said no, the lady then offered her temporary room and board at the Champions’ Guild, which Ariane accepted. 

 _But I can’t stay here forever,_ she thought. _Sooner or later, I’ll have to be off on my own…and then what?_

Xenia had paid for her stay, but Ariane knew that nothing was free. Eventually, she would be expected to earn her keep.

 _And what would I do then?_ She wondered. _How would I earn money? Who would hire a disgraced former wizard?_

_And what about my vision? How am I supposed to stop it from coming true? Even though they shunned me at the Tower, I still can’t leave them to die in a fire…they don’t deserve such a fate...I need to save the Tower, but…I don’t know where to start...only Wizard Ellaron can help…and I can’t see him…_

She felt like she was standing on a windy beach, with a tidal wave of impossible hardships being hurled at her, and she wanted to run; she wanted to shut herself out of the world, away from it all, which she did by spending most of her day in bed, sleeping or trying to make herself sleep, not even stopping to eat, bathe or brush her hair.

She shut her eyes again, and tried to will herself to retreat to the world of dreamless darkness where nothing would bother her, but a knock on the door interrupted her. Ariane did not reply, and a second later, the door opened. Ariane opened her eyes halfway, and saw Xenia coming in 

“Still in bed?” she said, maintaining a casual tone. “I thought with all the time you spent here you would have gotten enough sleep by now.”

Ariane didn’t answer.

“You know you can’t stay in bed forever,” Xenia said.

Ariane was still silent, and Xenia took that as a cue to continue talking. “Allow me to share some words of wisdom from one mage to another. You learn this as you grow older and wiser. It does not do well to dwell in the past and forget to live the present, for the past is as permanent and irreversible as death, but the present…that can be shaped however you want. Ariane, you will have to move on.”

Ariane ignored Xenia, and the adventurer decided to say more. “You know, in the Legends’ Guild we have a saying that as adventurers, we must think differently…unconventionally…we must look at things from a different angle...we also say that when two people are doing the same task, it doesn’t matter _how_ they get it done, as long as the end result is the same.”

Ariane didn’t know what that had to do with her, she kept on pretending Xenia wasn’t there, and Xenia saw that she would have to say more than that to coax her out of bed.

“Forget about the Tower, Ariane” Xenia told her. “I know Sedridor from my adventures. He’s a devout Saradominist. After what happened with you and the demon, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d never let you set foot in the Tower. That doesn’t matter; one does not need to be educated at the Wizards’ Tower in order to be a great wizard.”

That was enough to get a reaction out of her.

“The Tower is the best and most famous institution for studying magic,” Ariane said. “Some of their students have created important spells that we take for granted today—the elemental combat spells, the non-combat spells, teleportation…they’ve also produced famous wizards...like Eritona the Green…but… the Tower is doomed. I saw it happen...I don’t know how to stop it.”

_When it happens, it’ll be my fault.._

“Really?” Xenia said. “What if I told you that you could still learn all kinds of magic without finishing your studies at the Tower?” Xenia said.

“Only those who finish their studies at the Wizards’ Tower can move on to the Wizards’ Guild,” Ariane said. “And the Mage Training Arena…”

Her voice trailed off as she remembered the class trips they took back and forth from Draynor to Al Kharid in her first few years, where they’d train non-combat magic.

“I’ve already mastered what they taught there,” she said.

 “I wasn’t talking about those places,” Xenia said. “What if I told you there’s a whole world of magic you’d never even see at the Tower? What if I told you about an island up north where you can learn such magic? What if I told you there’s magic like that all over Gielinor which has been hidden for years just waiting to be discovered?”

“What kind of magic?” 

Xenia smiled. “Rather than just talk about them, I think it would be much more interesting for me to show you some of the spells I’ve learnt in my travels; spells you never imagined could exist. But if you’re still tired I suppose it can wait another day.”

She waited, but Ariane did not move, so she left the room.

Ariane turned in her bed and tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn’t stop wondering about the spells Xenia had picked up. She imagined all kind of possibilities, from summoning lightning in combat to mundane spells that could unlock doors, to spells that could turn the target into a newt. Eventually, it was too much; the curiosity was killing her She got out of bed, and went downstairs from the second floor to the ground floor without bothering to change out of her white cotton nightdress.

Sure enough, Xenia sitting at the dining table, and she smiled when she saw her coming down the stairs. Ariane could see she was putting a pile of runes that had a white star scratched onto them into a leather bag.

“What kind of runes are those?”

“The ones I need to perform my magic,” Xenia responded. “But first, do you want some…breakfast? You’ve hardly eaten ever since you got here.”

“No thank you,” Ariane said. She didn’t have an appetite anymore.

“I’m in the mood for apple pie,” Xenia said, as she got up. “Come, you said you wanted to see those spells.”

Ariane followed her to the kitchen, where Xenia grabbed a teacup off the shelf on the wall, and placed it on the table, before taking out some runes, including the ones with stars Ariane had never seen before. Xenia casted a spell that caused a grey cloud to appear over the cup and rain, until it was filled and the cloud disappeared.

Ariane’s eyes widened in surprise. Xenia was right, in all of her years she’s studied magic, she had never seen anything like that, nor did she ever imagine it could even exist.

“That was a humidifying spell,” Xenia said. She then started to make a pie, but instead of baking it, she casted another spell, which made a yellow-orange orb materialise over the pie, before it started to shatter into a thousand pieces like broken glass.

“That spell bakes pies without ever burning them,” Xenia said. “It takes a while of course, but you will know it’s fully baked when the pieces completely disappear.”

_Amazing…_

“Follow me,” Xenia told her. “I have more to show you…although you might want to put on a cloak before we step outside.”

Ariane quickly made her way upstairs, and put on a dark green cloak, and then went back to the ground floor. Xenia then led her out to the side yard, which had several chickens pecking at the ground, except for a quarter of the area that was fenced off. They climbed over the fence, and Xenia examined the herbs that grew there.

“They’re diseased?” she said. “I will have to fix that.”

Xenia casted another spell, which made a white orb appear over her hands. Light orange lightning bolts shot out of the orb, and zapped the herbs, turning them from a sickly shade of brown to a vibrant green.

Ariane opened her mouth in astonishment.

“That spell cures plants,” Xenia said. “I might as well fertilise the soil too.”

She casted another spell, turning the ground from a milk chocolate brown into a dark chestnut colour, as if it just had supercompost dumped into it.

“There are more spells like that,” Xenia said. “Spells that can cure you from poison, turn logs into planks, tan leather, make molten glass without ever using a furnace, summon a full hunting kit…I can go on..”

She then held out her hand, and showed Ariane the unknown runes. “They all need astral runes, and this…I’m sure must be your first time seeing these.”

Ariane was still in awe. She was speechless. For a few seconds she opened her mouth to reply, but she closed it again when she could think of nothing to say.

Xenia decided to fill up the silence with more talk. “I’m not a seer, so I cannot help you with your visions. But I can tell you that you don’t need the Tower to seek answers. There are others out there, perhaps you can consult them.”

If Ariane was surprised before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now. She stared at Xenia with her mouth still open.

“Gypsy Aris is in Varrock, and I’m sure the Oracle of Ice Mountain would be delighted to have a visitor,” Xenia said. “Become an adventurer, Ariane. You will gain the opportunity to do much more than what you would’ve done studying at the Tower…or anywhere else for that matter. Those of us in the Legends’ Guild…we always say that the best way to learn something is to learn from experience...which is what you’d get from adventuring. That and some money too…”

Ariane’s eyes lit up. For a moment, she tuned Xenia’s voice out, and all she could think of was the Wizards’ Tower not on fire anymore and stacks of gold coins.

“…And I’ve already showed you the ways you can sharpen your magical skills,” Xenia said, as she kept on speaking. “I learnt them while I was travelling through the Fremennik islands. Perhaps you will do so too. Perhaps you will even master them. Perhaps you will be like Eritona the Green, and make a name for yourself …the possibilities are endless.”

She took Ariane’s hand, and gave her some astral runes. “And remember what I said…there’s more than one way of getting something done…your career as a mage is not over…at the Legends’ Guild we also say that when one door closes, another one opens…you will find the strength to get through this…”     

Just then, a gust of wind blew across the yard, causing their hair to be blown above their shoulders, as they stood in silence.

* * *

_She and I went way back,_ Ariane thought as the memory faded. _When I was down, she picked me up, when life broke me, she put me back together, when I felt dead on the inside, she breathed life into me…she made me realise that my dream wasn’t impossible; she gave me hope in my darkest hours…_

She remembered the day Xenia gave her the supplies she’d need to make the perilous journey through Ice Mountain to seek the Oracle.

_She was a mentor to me…especially during the times when I needed her the most…for a while I even…I even thought of her as a second Ellaron…_

But then the image of Xenia falling headfirst into her own portal popped up in her mind, making Ariane feel like tearing her hair out.

_And this is how I repay her?_

But then she thought of Xenia’s words before she died; the loss of magic would be an acceptable alternative to total destruction and despite her weakened state, Ariane clenched her fists.

“That’s…that’s not a price…I’m willing to pay,” she said, as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “Xenia…she left me with no choice…I _had_ to do it…”

 _Yes…that’s right,_ Ariane thought. _I did it to save the world…I_ had _to…I_ had _to kill her…_

“Thank you, Bryce,” she said. “For stopping that thing…and for finding Xenia for me…”  
  
“No need to thank me,” Bryce replied, wishing he could wipe her tears away. “if we hadn't stopped her...well it doesn't bear thinking about…but it's done now and the world…the world is saved from…Xenia's madness...”

However Ariane still felt very uneasy, the Prehistoric Abyssal’s words stuck with her as well. The Elder Gods were heavily implied to be awakening, and soon they’d start eating away at the Anima, which would reduce Gielinor into a lifeless planet.

“Although…the warning that creature gave... perhaps it's too late…”

Her voice trailed off, and her vision faded to black. The last thing she heard was Bryce calling out her name.

* * *

 

Ariane opened her eyes, and felt rejuvenated as if she had just woken up from a long nap after a hard day of working. Her body no longer ached and her breathing felt normal.  

She saw that she was lying in a four-poster mahogany bed gilded with gold, with a white duvet covering her body.

_Where am I?_

She sat up, and noticed that she wasn’t in her green and brown combat robes. Instead, she was wearing a light blue, almost white low-cut sleeveless nightdress that was made of silk. She then looked around, and saw just how luxurious the room was. Except for the marble fireplace, all of the furniture was gilded with gold, from the wardrobe, to the dresser, to the clock. Even the rug was threaded with gold.

_What’s going on?_

Just then, a very pretty doe-eyed brunette with her hair in an updo, (save for a few strands that were just left at the side of her face), wearing form-fitting black and white maid’s uniform walked in.

“Oh…you’re awake. I should let Master Bryce know.”

 _Master Bryce?_ Ariane thought _. So this is his place?_

She then walked out, and a short while later, Bryce came into the room. He had changed out of his armour and was now dressed up in his causal gear—a black leather longcoat over a blue shirt and black trousers.

He smiled when she saw her propped up against the white pillows.

“Ariane…I’m glad to see you up,” he said..

“You…”

“I healed you,” he said. “Or rather the Bunyip  did.”

“The what?”

“After you collapsed, I teleported here,” Bryce explained. “The maid cared for you while I ran off to make a summoning pouch. After I got that, I teleported back here, summoned the bunyip. He used his powers to heal you.”

“Oh…thank you,” Ariane said. “For healing me.”

“It’s nothing,” Bryce responded. “It’s what one comrade should do for another.”

“I’m sorry about Kipple,” she said, remembering his exploded remains. “It seemed quite attached to you.”

“It’s no big deal,” Bryce said.

 _Kipple means nothing to me,_ he added silently. _He is just a golem who was given life to serve his master; he was just a slave, nothing more._

Ariane looked at him. For the first time in months, she took a close look at his face, noticing every bit of his pretty looks, and at the same time, not being allured by them. Until today, she had not seen him ever since their conversation at the Blue Moon Inn after Guthix’s death, where she had been absolutely baffled and irritated by his indecision of not supporting the Guthian cause.  

She then thought of his letter where he explained his reason to side with Saradomin in the Battle of Lumbridge, so he could stop Zamorak from destroying the town. She could understand his refusal to stay put while the gods destroyed his hometown, but she still hated his decision to follow a god whose name he wouldn’t even reveal over Guthix, the most selfless and noble god of all. She had spoken to Holstein in Port Sarim and became very interested in joining the Godless, until Armadyl fought Bandos in the Battle of Asgarnia, where she had been turned off by Kara-Meir’s hypocrisy of hating the gods for causing so much destruction to get the Stone of Jas and yet wanting to do the same.

Ariane looked into Bryce’s purple eyes, and she felt mixed emotions. On one hand, she was grateful for his generous hospitality, and she was glad he understood just how vital magic was to the world itself. On the other hand, she wished she could make him understand just how vital he was to Guthix’s plan for a godless Gielinor; without it, the plan was nothing but an impossible dream. She managed to put her feelings aside to help him track down Xenia, but now that it was over, her feelings wandered back to the day she read Bryce’s letter and the day Guthix died.

Hurt, resentment, and frustration wasn’t all she felt. Remembering the conversation she had with Xenia in the cave, she was also feeling shocked and overwhelmed, upon hearing what her former mentor had said about the Elder gods.

* * *

“There you are Xenia, nowhere to run now. You will answer for your crimes!”

Xenia did not even flinch when Ariane teleported in beside Bryce. She maintained her stoic expression even as Ariane pointed her staff at her.

“I have every intention of facing justice for what I have done,” Xenia said, sounding just as calm as she looked. “But weigh the scales against why I have done it. I am trying to save the world, Ariane! One life, for countless others. A fair trade.”

Ariane narrowed her eyes at what she was hearing. “Who are _you_ to decide whose life to save? You don't get to choose who lives and who dies!”

“Of course I do!” Xenia cried, glaring at her. “We all do! On each adventure, you choose who lives and who dies. Every day we make decisions that sentence some to death and others to salvation, whether we know it or not. I thought I taught you that in the beginning. At your whim, lives are cut short. At your mercy, they go on. Don't you _dare_ weigh judgement on me and believe yourself any less guilty of the same crime. The research I took...”

“ _Stol_ e _!_ ” Ariane corrected.

 “Stole then,” Xenia said. “The research was a treatise on the inner mechanics of teleportation. An investigation into crossing the barrier between planes—more importantly, the transfer of matter and energy through them. At first I was able to utilise a very old teleportation spell—one that I knew others would be unable to follow. It took me straight into the Abyss and there I met an ancient creature, with centuries of knowledge. It told me about other worlds that were destroyed by ancient, god-like beings. It wasn't difficult to work out what those beings were. Together we thought of a solution, a way to save this world. The Elder Gods feed on the Anima Mundi, the natural flow of energy in the world. If we were to take that energy and siphon it away, then the Elder gods would never wake up.”

Words could not describe her shock. On her adventures, she had seen and heard of some very eye-opening things, but none could top this, not even Guthix’s death. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped, and nothing in the cave could move. She thought of Xenia’s research, which she had looked up while Bryce and Kipple tracked her down. In Xenia’s notes, she had mentioned the Elder gods who shaped Gielinor by manipulating the Anima Mundi, and she even listed them—Bik the nature god, Ful the fire god of the TokHaar, Wen the ice god, Jas the creator of the Stone, and Mah, the god she knew nothing about. She had heard of them before. Although she never knew their specific names, she had a vague memory of learning that the Elder gods created Gielinor.

This shocking revelation would be enough to make her sit down and silently stare at the cave wall until she could form a coherent train of thought in response, if it wasn’t for Xenia’s extremist, impractical solution, which made her utter the first words that came to her.

“But... but that's madness. The consequences would be...”

“An acceptable loss!” Xenia said. “When compared to the alternative!”

“ _No_ , Xenia, you can't do that,” Ariane said, furrowing her brows which made her look both angry and determined.  “If you siphon the Anima Mundi away, you'll be siphoning away magic. Gielinor is built and thrives on magic. So much of the world _needs_ it!”

“A few lives, a few problems...,” Xenia said dismissively. “…To save _everyone_ from the greater threat! Of all people, Ariane, I thought you would see the necessity in this!

 _Necessity? No…_ Ariane thought. _Such a terrible fate could never,_ ever _be necessary._

She remembered her dream to master every branch of magic to become a powerful mage, and she was reminded of all the places she’s travelled to that flourished on magic, from the Lunar Isles to the Tower of Life to Taverley, and even the Wizards’ Tower, the Wizard’s Guild and the Mage Training Arena. If Xenia’s plan succeeded…

“No Xenia, I can't allow this,” Ariane said. “It’s wrong. The world needs magic. We'll find another way.”

“There is no other way!” Xenia cried, sounding more shrill than calm this time. “Either we do this or the whole world dies!”

“She’s right, Xenia!” Bryce shouted. “It doesn’t have to be this way! I _know_ another way to stop it, a way that won’t drain the world of its magic! Please, Xenia! Be reasonable! We can’t take away magic, it’s as vital to the world as breathing is for us! But we _can_ stop the Elder gods without resorting to this! Gielinor doesn’t have to end like… _that_ world…”

“Freneskae,” Xenia said. pronouncing the name perfectly after hearing Bryce mention it once when she described the desolate plane just seconds before Ariane teleported it. “It will become another Freneskae unless I do something about it!”

“Gielinor is built on magic!” Bryce protested. “It literally cannot function without it! I know of a better solution!” 

“No! You idiots!” Xenia yelled angrily when she realised that neither of them could be convinced. “There _is_ no other way! I've looked, I've studied!”

She scoffed. “Bah! You may be weak, but I am not. I will do this—you will _not_ stop me!”

“No!” Ariane cried. “I can't let you do this Xenia! I'll stop you!...Even if I have to kill you!”

Xenia mouth curled upwards in a smile, as if Ariane had just told a very dark joke. “Come on, Ariane. You are many things, but you're no murderer.”

Ariane glanced at the ground, allowing her hair to fall in front of her eyes, hiding them from Xenia’s view, even though she herself could see out of them. Xenia turned away from her and Bryce, and she started to open up another portal. Ariane knew she could not be reasonably persuaded to stop, and she knew she couldn’t force Xenia to stop; not in a fair fight anyway, so she took the chance to fire a spell while her back was turned. She casted an Air Surge, which summoned three consecutive spheres that combined together and formed a three point throwing star as they flew mid-air towards Xenia.

The element of surprise worked. The Air Surge hit Xenia squarely in the back, making her cough up blood. She turned around and looked at Ariane in the eyes one last time before falling into the portal.

* * *

_I_ had _to do it,_ Ariane thought. _I couldn’t stand by and just watch as she siphoned away magic…no…never…_

 _She left me with no choice…I_ had _no choice…I_ had _to do it…I was forced to kill her…I had no choice…_

_But…is that really forgivable? I killed my friend and mentor. I had a moment of fury and I just... I struck out, I didn't even hold back…I hit her with a deadly spell and now... she's gone…_

_…But…she wouldn’t listen to us no matter how we pleaded; she was single-minded—focused on only one solution, regardless of the consequences. Still…_

_…Did she_ really _deserve death? She was foolish…and relentless, but does that really call for death? Was there no other way we could’ve stopped her? Was there no other way we could have restrained her and made her listen to reason?_

_…But… she was going to leave this world a magic-less husk…_

_…I_ had _no choice._

_Or did I?...now that I look back…couldn’t I have knocked her out instead? Couldn’t Bryce have forcibly restrained her?_

She thought of the way Xenia looked at her before she fell in, her former mentor’s eyes were wide as she realised what Ariane had done, and once again, tears flooded her eyes before they ran down her cheeks.

Bryce hated to see her this way; it almost hurt him just as much as it hurted her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and embrace her. Instead, his chose his next words carefully.

“Don’t cry,” he said. “If this is about Xenia…you can’t blame yourself. Xenia did an extremely stupid thing…you did what you had to do. If you hadn’t killed her…we would have been doomed…not from the Elder gods, but from the lack of magic. You’re right…Ariane, it’s a price too big to pay.”

Ariane wiped her tears away, and then looked at Bryce, feeling glad that he never judged her harshly and would always try to comfort her where matters of the heart were concerned.

“You should get some rest,” Bryce told her. “Your injuries have healed, but the fight with the Abyssal has strained your body; you need bed rest.”

“Did you really know another way to stop the Elder gods?” she asked.

Bryce opened his mouth before he closed it a second later. He opened it again as he answered. “I cannot tell you…I’m sorry…”

“You said Gielinor would not meet the same end as Freneskae,” Ariane continued. “Is that a world the Elder gods have already destroyed?” 

Bryce said nothing, as a gust of wind came into the room, causing the World Guardian’s shoulder-length hair to be blown sideways, hiding his eyes from Ariane.

“Is it?” Ariane asked, getting the hunch that it was, but she wanted to hear him confirm it. There was so much he wasn’t telling her, and it pained her to be kept in the dark. It was like their meeting at the Blue Moon Inn all over again. Didn’t he know how much it killed her to be locked out of the loop? It was bad enough that he would not tell her about the god he had chosen to follow, who was supposedly better than Guthix, but now that she suspected Bryce knew of a plan to stop the Elder gods from destroying Gielinor when they awaken, she’d spend her time wondering what it was. Didn’t he understand how much that would torment her?

“Please…tell me,” Ariane said. “You told me you healed me because that’s what comrades do for one another…comrades are also supposed to be honest with each other, right?”

“Sorry,” Bryce apologised sounding very, very sincere. “I’m sorry.” 

He then turned around, and walked away, without even bothering to look her in the eyes.

“Get some rest, okay?”

“Why?” Ariane said in a raised voice, as the tears came back. “I thought we were comrades…more than that actually…I thought we were friends…and yet…you…you…”

Her words turned into sobs, but Bryce ignored her, and kept on walking, until he was sure she could longer hear his footsteps. Then, he broke into a run, and he didn’t stop until he reached the dining room on the ground floor.

Bryce rang the posh bell-pull, and a while later, his maid walked in.

“Make sure Ariane gets her rest,” he ordered. “Give her a cadava potion. I’m sure you can buy some from the druids.”

She nodded. “Yes, Master Bryce.”

“I need to attend to some unfinished business; she needs to rest until I return.”

“Of course, Master Bryce.”

Bryce then made his way out of the house, and into the front garden, where he stepped into the portal, and was then transported to the bustling town of Taverley.

* * *

“You have questions.”

Zaros appeared in his royal purple robes a few feet away from the Memoriam device (which was surrounded by a sea of square tiles), looking as noble and majestic as ever. Bryce immediately knelt before him, like a knight before his king.

“Arise, World Guardian,” Zaros ordered, and Bryce did as he was told.

 “My lord, I’m here to report some…grave news,” he began. He glanced around the Sanctum of Freneskae as he tried to properly phrase his thoughts, and saw that it had not changed since the last time he was there, with stairs leading down to the valley of tiles, and thin posts next to the stairs and even shorter, thinner posts around the tiles.

“It…concerns the Great Revision…”

He then told the Empty Lord what had happened with Xenia, from her stealing a Tower wizard’s research to the fight with the Prehistoric Abyssal.

“I already know of those events,” Zaros said. “I spend most of my time in the Shadow Realm after all, watching gods, dragonkin, and mortals alike…until you summoned my here, World Guardian.”

“So…is it true?” Bryce asked. “Is it _really_ starting?”

 Seconds passed before Zaros spoke, although to Bryce, it felt like years. While he waited, Bryce desperately hoped that the Abyssal was wrong, and by a miraculous stroke of luck, the Elders were still too soundly asleep to awake.

“Time is not on our side,” Zaros said. “Like the Abyssal said, the Elder gods are _startin_ g to awake; they now linger in a dream-like state between sleeping and waking up. They are stirring as of this moment.”   

 “So it’s true,” Bryce said. “They’re…”

His voice trailed off. Bryce could not imagine the world getting its Anima sucked dry and being destroyed in the process. Although he tried his best to picture it, his young, human mind found it very hard to comprehend such a great and terrible event.

 _And I’ll be powerless to do anything…_ he thought. _I’m the fucking World Guardian! Guthix chose me to protect the world…but…but…_

He thought of Ariane being hit by Xenia’s magic at the Draynor bridge, and her being knocked out by the Prehistoric Abyssal.

_I can’t even protect Ariane!..._

And then he remembered how he watched as Saradomin forcibly took the wand out of his hand with divine magic, and given Sir Owen a zombie arm as he revived him from death.

_If I couldn’t stop him…how can I do anything about the Elder gods? They’re invincible, and I’m…useless…all I can do is watch…watch as Zaros…_

“How are you going to stop them?” Bryce asked.

“I intend to claim my birthright,” Zaros said. “I will become an Elder god and speak on behalf of all mortals when they’re fully awake. Azzanadra is searching for the Elder Halls. When he finds them...I will create a great wake of destruction, one that the likes of Gielinor have never seen before. It will force them up.”

“Why force them up if they’re already waking?” Bryce said. “And…will there be enough time for you to become and Elder god?”

“The sooner we get this done the better,” Zaros said. “The sooner they’re dealt with, the sooner Gielinor can live in peace, without fear that their world would end.”

“How do you become an Elder god anyways?” Bryce questioned. “I mean…Saradomin used the Elder Crown to ascend to godhood, Armadyl and Zamorak used the Staff, and Guthix used the Elder Sword…will you be using an Elder artifact too?”

“Possibly,” Zaros said. “Although…I have another… no…she’s gone…my other half...No. I doubt…I doubt it…that’s not possible…”

“Your other half?” Bryce asked. “Seren…what’s she got to do with anything? She’s shattered to crystal, how can she be of any use?”

“We will not speak of this anymore, World Guardian” Zaros ordered. “With the Great Revision about to start, you have enough to worry about. I do not wish to trouble you any further.”

“As you wish, my lord” Bryce said. “I…I have another question about Mah…will she ever wake up and make her way to Gielinor?”

_Wen, Jas, Bik and Ful all had a mouthpiece, but Mah…naturally she had no mouthpiece, and yet…in that cave in Lumbridge…that statue…_

The idea of a creature as foul as Mah arriving in Lumbridge wreaking havoc, the way Zamorak did when he instigated the Battle of Lumbridge and tried to destroy the city was enough to make Bryce mentally shudder.

“Not likely,” Zaros answered. “Not long after we teleported out of the Cradle, she slipped back into a coma. It would appear that she was able to feed off the Anima you gave off, World Guardian. However, she needs a _lot_ of it just to wake up, and even more to reach Gielinor. The longer you stay on Freneskae, the more Anima you emit.”

Bryce opened his mouth to reply, but Zaros kept on talking so he did not interrupt.

“Don’t worry,” Zaros continued. “She won’t wake up now; you would have to stay for quite a while to release enough Anima to wake her, as you did when you made me a body. You took _quite_ a while to finish off those Nihils.”

“I’m sorry, my lord” Bryce said. “I should have killed them off more quickly…but I wasn’t able to…I should have been stronger…forgive me.”

“Even if she does wake, she would need a constant source of Anima to stay awake,” Zaros said. “You cannot provide that if you leave. And even if she had a source and managed to stay awake, she wouldn’t have any memories.”

Bryce felt relief washing over him. “That’s comforting to hear.”

“Indeed,” Zaros agreed.

“But then…why does she still have a mouthpiece?” Bryce asked.

There was a few seconds of silence before Zaros spoke again. “I wish I could tell you but…there are things about the Elder gods that even I don’t know…”

“I see…”

“I won’t let Gielinor die,” Zaros said, trying to reassure him. “I _will_ stop the Great Revision at any cost. The Elder gods may have taken Freneskae but they will never have Gielinor. I will fight them with everything I’ve got if that is what it would to stop them. The Elder gods are all the same—powerful, but extremely selfish beings who would kill everything and everyone without a second thought. Gielinor deserves better…sentient life should not have to live in such a manner; here today and destroyed tomorrow. When I speak with them, I will show them the error of their ways.”

“And if they don’t listen?” Bryce said.

“Then I will force them to yield to me,” Zaros said. “Like I did with Loarnab.”

“I didn’t know the Elder gods could be killed,” Bryce remarked.

“They can’t,” Zaros said. “But they can stay in a death-like coma, as Mah is doing. Should they refuse to listen to me, I will force them all into permanent a coma.”

A few more seconds of silence passed between them before Bryce asked another question.

“My lord, I want to know…” he began. “Since Azzanadra is looking for the Elder Halls, he ought to know what just happened. I think the mouthpieces could be a clue to where they are…I would like to speak to him. Can you tell me where he is?”

“Right now, he is in the Varrock rune essence mine,” Zaros said. “He has been visiting rune essence mines ever since I returned.”

“Do you know where he’s planning to go next?” Bryce asked.

Zaros shook his head. “I cannot read his thoughts from so far away, although I can tell you he’s already visited the ones in Ardougne and Burthorpe.”

“I see,” Bryce said.

A few seconds later he knelt again, and before Zaros could tell him to get up, he spoke.

“My lord, since you know about me stopping Xenia’s attempt to siphon away magic,” he started. “Surely you must know that I wasn’t the only one who stopped her. My…partner was there as well…and she…she knows what’s about to happen with the Great Revision, and she suspects that I know how it will be stopped…although she doesn’t know any specific details. As a Zarosian, my duty is to keep my alignment to you a secret, and that goes of course for your plans…but…I want to tell her about your plan to stop it…and I…”

“You wanted my permission?” Zaros asked, finishing his sentence.

“Yes, my lord.”

 _She’s already upset with me for not even revealing Zaros’ name,_ he thought. _She’s even more upset, now that she’s sure I know a better way of stopping the Great Revision, but doesn’t know why I’m keeping it a secret...I don’t want to make it worse…_

“Show me your memories of her,” Zaros said. “Let me enter your mind. I must decide if she’s worthy of knowing, and I must rely on your memories.”

“My lord?” Bryce responded, knowing that if he did give permission, Zaros would know about the way he felt about her.

“I cannot give you an answer until I’ve assessed her,” Zaros said bluntly. “And I cannot do that until you let me in.”

“Okay then.”

Zaros entered him, as he had when he was an incorporeal purple orb and once again, the Empty Lord saw himself in a pure white empty space, with Bryce standing directly across from him.

“Now recall your memories,” Zaros ordered, and Bryce did so.

Several images on paper thin square boxes, popped up in the air. The images started to move at a very fast pace, Zaros was easily able to figure out what was going on happening, even though the pictures were moving at the same time, with each of them serving as a memory Bryce had of Ariane. He saw the time he helped Ariane save the Wizards’ Tower, the time she and him defeated the troll Magic Stick when Burthorpe and Taverley were under attack, the times they met with Ozan, Sir Owen and Xenia at the Legends’ Guild once a month to catch up on each other’s adventures, the time he and Ariane visited the Varrock museum and she read his name off the stone tablet on display, the time they had a falling out after Guthix’s death…all the way until today. He also noticed the way he smiled when he saw her, the way his mind seemed to relax whem he saw her, the loved her red hair and wanted to run his fingers through it, the way he’d sometimes think of her when he had the time to write in his notebook, the way he thought of her as his Queen of Love and Beauty, and the way he altried tried to comfort her when she was distressed.

When the memories finished playing, Zaros pulled out of Bryce’s mind, and found they both found themselves back in the Sanctum.

“How curious,” Zaros mused. “The connection you feel towards this girl...it reminds me of the one I had with my companion.”

“Well, my lord?” Bryce asked. “Will you give me permission?”

Zaros said nothing as a gust of wind blew across the room, causing Bryce’s longcoat and pale blond hair and Zaros’ robes to be blown sideways, and in the silence, Bryce Stanton held his breath, hoping that Zaros would allow it.

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I've changed a lot of stuff. Like the fight with the Prehistoric Abyssal. In the game, Abyssal anchors (that looked just like the magenta coloured metal springs I described if I recall correctly) just spawned in the room for no reason and you had to destroy them to kill the Abyssal, I tried my best to come up with a good in-story reason for them to appear, and I tried to give a good reason for the Abyssal to start attacking the World Guardian and Ariane other than "we need a boss fight at the end."
> 
> I also tried to expand on [Ariane's backstory](http://services.runescape.com/m=rswiki/en/The_Burning_Tower_-_Ariane's_Tale) and how she met Xenia. Oh, and her grandmother died shortly after she sent that letter.
> 
> I also made the Abyssal say that the Elders are rising before Ariane gets knocked out, instead of following the game, which he says it just before he dies, while Ariane is knocked out, because her dialogue after tou kill the Abyssal implies that she heard what the beast said while she was unconscious, which doesn't make a lot of sense and is really just a minor continuity error. I also made the World Guardian refer to Zaros when he says he knows of a better way to stop the Great Revision, he doesn't do this in-game, he just stays silent while Xenia and Ariane argue which is a bit odd, if you've done Fate of the Gods. He also mentions Frenesake when Xenia talks about another world the Elder gods destroyed, in-game he stays silent as if he knows nothing about it, again another continuity error for those of us who did Fate of the Gods. I also made the player angst about letting the Abyssal knock out Ariane and letting Xenia hurt her in the opening cutscene of the quest, it would be in character for him, considering how he feels about her.
> 
> On another note, the fact that Ariane used a raven to send a letter is a form of gameplay and storyline segregation working its way into the story since Gielinor doesn't have a proper postal system (no, I will not include Postie Pete, he's more suited to a more comedic kind of story), so they use birds to deliver letters. The kind of birds they use depends on the area. If you're in the Fremennik provinces, you'd use something like say...a snowy owl, but if you're in the desert, you're going to use a steppe eagle. I noticed there are a lot of ravens in Draynor, and since the WIzards' Tower is just south of Draynor; very close to it, it wouldn't be implausible for them to use ravens. By the way, that guy named Kartis in the letter? That's the name of Ariane's great-grandfather who died long before the events of this story.
> 
> More gamplay and storyline segregation include Ariane not being instantly better after the World Guardian kills the Abyssal, In-game, she just gets up as if she's never been knocked out. Here, it will take more than that for her to recover.
> 
> Hopefully, I didn't fuck up too much. If you think I did, don't be afraid to tell me.


End file.
